DOG
DOG is a robot that appears in Valve's Half-Life 2 video game. Originally built by Dr. Eli Vance as a "pet" for his daughter Alyx, it has become a loyal protector and a great asset for the City 17 resistance movement against the Combine. Throughout Half-Life 2 and its episodic sequels, DOG aids Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance as they progress through City 17. History DOG was first built while Alyx was still a child. Initially, it was only a meter high, but as Alyx grew older she would make modifications to DOG's body using salvaged scrap parts. When Gordon Freeman is introduced to it in Half-Life 2, DOG stands at 2.5 meters in height. Half-Life 2 Gordon Freeman is first introduced to DOG in the Black Mesa East scrap yard. As part of a tutorial on operation of the Gravity Gun, Alyx arranges a game of "fetch" between Gordon and DOG, using an inert Combine Rollermine as the ball, until they are interrupted by a Combine assault on the Resistance facility. After heading back inside, DOG opens the door into an unused tunnel leading towards Ravenholm for Gordon to aid his escape, after he gets separated from Alyx. While Gordon enters the tunnel, Dog stays behind to help Alyx and the others defend the lab. Gordon meets DOG again after he and Alyx teleport from Nova Prospekt to Dr. Kleiner's lab at the end of the chapter Entanglement. The company splits once more when Gordon and DOG set off to find Barney Calhoun, Alyx deciding to stay with Dr. Kleiner who refuses to leave without his pet Headcrab Lamarr. As the chapter Anticitizen One begins, DOG is quick to leave Gordon behind and charge at a nearby group of Combine troops outside the lab, tossing a ruined car at them and even fighting off an APC. He then forces open a Combine Barricade gate for Gordon, allowing him to proceed. However, DOG goes berserk immediately after and jumps on a Combine Dropship whilst trying to attack it, departing into the unknown. It is worth noting that this whole scene – unlike other sequences where supporting characters fight alongside Gordon – is entirely scripted, and as such requires no involvement from the player at all. DOG eventually manages to find Barney, and Gordon meets both of them in the square toward the end of the chapter "Follow Freeman!", in a scene where DOG, in the heat of the battle, knocks over a column topped with the large statue of a horse. As Barney reports to the player, DOG is probably aware of the fact that Alyx is already in the Citadel, and so tries to reunite with her, being completely uncontrollable by others. The last time DOG is seen in Half-Life 2 is when he once again opens a passage for Gordon, this time allowing him to proceed to the Citadel's foot, by lifting a heavy section of Combine Smart Barrier, uncovering an ancient sewer tunnel. Half-Life 2: Episode One Episode One opens with Gordon lying in the darkness under a pile of rubble. The sound of Alyx and DOG searching for him leaks through, and after lifting up a large slab of rock, DOG's head and eye appear through a hole. He seems elated, and quickly lifts Gordon out of the rubble. After Gordon's recovery, DOG helps Alyx contact her father, using his metal body as an antenna by twisting his hand to get a better signal. After much deliberation, Alyx and Gordon decide to enter the Citadel, however they are blocked by a large ravine. DOG runs off in search of something, and soon throws over a large empty car. Testing the distance by throwing a rock over the ravine, he lets Alyx know that her and Gordon are to climb into the car, allowing him to throw them over. Eventually Alyx concedes, telling DOG to go back to Eli after he has thrown them. Gordon and Alyx both get into the vehicle, before DOG picks it up and throws it across the dividing ravine. DOG is not seen again for the rest of the game. Half-Life 2: Episode Two In Episode Two, DOG appears late in the game in the Outlands, when Gordon and Alyx have nearly reached White Forest. When the duo is forced to stop their car because of a gate, a Strider that was lying on the ground wakes up. Fortunately, DOG appears quickly and takes down the Strider in an epic battle, with little regard for his own well-being. After narrowly avoiding being crushed multiple times, he manages to tear off the casing of the Strider's control mechanism and subsequently shuts it down by removing its "brain". Afterward, DOG challenges Gordon to beat him to the base in his car. If the player is able to beat DOG, Alyx will mock DOG by saying "Better luck next time, slow poke." However, if DOG wins, he will dance around triumphantly. Dog is then left outside to help MIRT patrol the area while Gordon and Alyx continue on to meet Eli and Kleiner. Towards the end of the game, after the closure of the Superportal, DOG appears once again. He greets Alyx but is distracted by something in the distance, and goes running off much to Alyx's dismay. Whilst DOG is gone, Eli, Gordon and Alyx go into the hangar to get to the helicopter, but are ambushed by Combine Advisors who kill Eli, inserting their appendage through the back of his neck, breaking his spinal column. Before the Advisors manage to repeat the horrific process on Gordon and Alyx, DOG shows up in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding the death of Alyx. He manages to injure one Advisor considerably, jumping onto its back and smashing it to the ground, whilst the other flees from his attacks relatively unscathed. As Alyx cradles her dead father, DOG leans over, watching in confusion and sorrow. Appearance DOG's physical appearance when he was first built is unknown, but he is stated to have been a meter in height. In his game appearances, he stands over 8 feet tall with a gorilla-like posture and walks using his knuckles. DOG seems to have been assembled from various pieces of scrap, giving him a haphazard, inelegant appearance. Some of his parts are recognizable, having been salvaged from scrapped Combine Synths. DOG's left arm appears to be made from a salvaged Strider leg and his head was clearly made from a City Scanner drone. Personality DOG, much like a real dog, is very friendly, loyal, and has an intelligent and excitable personality. Similarly to Barney Calhoun, DOG provides comic relief throughout the games with his quirks and many strange and odd decisions, even dancing when he is looked at for a period of time. DOG makes friendly and playful noises such as beeps and whines, emulating the sounds made by a real dog, especially when he is around Alyx. When either he or Alyx is threatened, he can be a dangerous foe, using his immense strength and weight to smash enemies to the ground or tear them apart. This makes him a crucial asset in any battle, as he can destroy Striders with ease and hurl heavy objects at targets. Alyx treats DOG much like a pet dog, calling him "boy" and using similar body language and voice as when talking to a real dog. She pats her upper thighs when calling him at Black Mesa East, and tells him to "fetch" when Gordon throws the Rollermine. Their relationship is also much like that of a dog and its master; they have a mutual trust and friendship, which has grown over the years so that Alyx now trusts DOG's opinions and hunches, as crazy as they may sometimes appear. She also has come to accept his sometimes erratic behaviour, when he runs off without warning only to appear again moments later. Their relationship differs from the traditional dog and master relationship in the sense that DOG is considerably more intelligent than most real dogs, and is also much larger and more powerful than any human. However, these differences rarely come between them and their friendship seems very deep, so much so that Alyx shows many signs of affection for DOG. He also seems to have something of a sixth sense, being able to determine where Alyx is, no matter the situation. When Alyx is inside the Citadel, he is eager to get in and rescue her. Capabilities Though his body might appear shoddily built to some, DOG possesses great physical strength. He is capable of lifting and throwing heavy objects such as dumpsters or even cars and has demonstrated the ability to break through barricades and reinforced structures. He also has a Zero Point Energy Manipulator built into one hand, allowing him to pick up and move objects from a distance. Category:Fictional Robots Category:Video Game Robots Category:Video Game Characters Category:Artificial Intelligence Category:Half-Life